Case Study: Tacoma Public Schools boosts graduation rates and predicts dropout risk with Microsoft Azure

Predicting student dropout risks, increasing graduation rates with cloud analytics

Tacoma Public Schools, a large school district in Washington, faced a significant challenge with low graduation rates and a national reputation as a "dropout factory." They sought to change this by utilizing data to predict which students were at risk of disengaging and dropping out, allowing for early intervention. To achieve this, they partnered with Microsoft Corporation and explored using predictive analytics tools, beginning their journey with Microsoft's consulting services.

The solution implemented used a range of Microsoft cloud technologies, culminating in a proof-of-concept built on Microsoft Azure Machine Learning. This model ingested historical student data to predict dropout probability with nearly 90% accuracy. This data-driven approach, which also included Microsoft Power BI for visualization, was a key factor in helping the district dramatically improve its graduation rate from 55 percent to 82.6 percent, transforming its educational outcomes and national reputation.

Tacoma Public Schools

Christopher Baidoo-Essien

BI Analyst